1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and more specifically to a method and apparatus for processing data. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for managing requests in a network data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as art “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol used by the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to a collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols. The Internet may carry information and provide services. The information and services include, for example, electronic mail, online chat services, file transfers, web pages, and other resources.
The Internet is a commonly used source of information and entertainment. Further, the Internet is also used as a medium for business activities. Additionally, many businesses, government entities, and other organizations have a presence on the Internet using Websites to perform various transactions. Various organisations may offer goods and services using the Internet. These goods and services may involve a sale of goods that are to be shipped to a customer. The goods may be software and/or data purchased by a customer and transferred over the Internet to the customer. The World Wide Web is a commonly used system for these types of activities. The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents that may be accessed through the Internet.
In this type of environment, a single server or multiple servers may handle requests. The request may be, for example, for a file, a connection, a webpage, or some other resource. In a distributed computing environment, a proxy server may handle these requests and forward them to other servers. When a request is received from a client, a proxy server creates an inbound request, connects to a server from a set of servers, and sends the inbound request on behalf of the client.